Ghost in the Machine is the most underrated song on SOS

No because let's talk about A.I.!

God willing, I will be seeing SZA tonight at the Barclays center with my certified SZA stan Roommate AJ. SZA postponed her show in Toronto two days ago, so I need everyone to say a prayer that she is well enough to perform today. If not, I honestly don’t know what we will do. We missed the March shows at MSG and have been waiting all year for this damn concert. Either way we were preparing for the concert this week and got into a very deep discussion about how Ghost in the Machine is a very underrated song on SOS. As Paramore says, this is why.

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Since the album came out Ghost in the Machine has been my favorite song on SOS. There is just something about the instrumental that makes me feel like I am in 5th grade reading Skeleton Creek. Like it is just so ooky spooky. I don’t even fuck with spooky things like that¹, but I love this song.

Ghost in the Machine Definition: According to Wikipedia, the "ghost in the machine" is a term originally used to describe and critique the concept of the mind existing alongside and separate from the body. In more recent times, the term has several uses, including the concept that the intellectual part of the human mind is influenced by emotions; and within fiction, for an emergent consciousness residing in a computer.

Therefore, in the context of the SZA song, SZA is making a commentary on the role of AI in our society. That is most obvious with the criminally underrated second verse:

Everybody wanna be beautiful, scared of the unusual
Scared of givin' mutual respect, all that you hate
You reflect all that godlike, you forget how to love somebody
I hate everybody, I hatе everyone

This part makes sense as to why SZA mostly keeps to herself. She does not like the way our society prioritizes people who conform to trends and blend in with everyone else. The way that people do not have basic human empathy for celebrities and think that they always owe them something when in reality most of them don’t owe us anything. I heard about the “SZA Wack” thing (for full context watch here). If you didn’t hear basically there was a viral meme of someone a few years ago going to see SZA and they posted the caption “SZA Wack.” Then someone recently went to the SOS tour and recreated it. SZA saw it and DMed them asking them to take it down because that meme actually caused her a lot of anxiety and makes her uncomfortable. The fan then told SZA that she wasn’t going to take it down and basically told SZA to kiss her ass and that SZA needs to get over it. It is pretty obvious that this fan is a child but the actual audacity. I can understand why SZA feels like people are scared of giving mutual respect because she has first had witnessed people not wanting to respect her. This happened after the song was written too. Just further proving SZA’s point.

I don’t understand the fan’s logic. You paid to see SZA, so you like her in some way. Why would you want to get on the bad side of an artist that you paid to see? Like???? These kids today really need to get reality checks because when they grow up and realize that some people will not just deal with them being insensitive it will be a rude awakening.

I can only imagine dealing with being super famous on a daily basis while also trying to stay in touch with some part of your humanity is really depressing. I have only had very limited experiences with celebrities and influencers and sometimes I see what they have to go through and get so sad for them. Having to constantly be aware of how you look, having people stare at you, expect things from you, trying to hurt you, Like that is a lot. I know I want to date a famous person but when that happens I am not going get used to that for a while.

Lеt's talk about A.I., robot got more heart than I
Robot got future, I don't
Robot get sleep, but I don't power down
I'm wide open, I'm awake, I'm on autopilot
I'm out of my mind and I'm wide open

When I first heard this song, I thought it was so sad. SZA clearly feels very depressed about the state of our society. Specifically with people not having empathy and the rise of AI. If you know me, you know that I do not like AI and I think that it will be the demise of our society if climate change doesn’t kill us all first. SZA seemingly feels the same. “Robot got future I don’t”, A.I. is going to outlive us all. If you believe the theory in the Matrix, then it already has.

The entire concept of a ghost in a machine is so interesting to me. Especially with the rise of these AI pictures that everyone is making/using. A.I is taking something that is dead and using it in a way that makes it live forever, but it isn’t real and there for has no soul, or a Ghost. When you put something on the internet in a way you immortalize it because it will outlive the person. Think about Robin Williams, his daughter Zelda came out and said that it is so weird and fucked up that people have been using AI to make it seem like Robin Williams said and did things that he never did. In this case Robin Williams is the Ghost in the machine.

Also, to all the people who are using/making these fake images in A.I, you are literally making the A.I become smarter. The more that people use A.I the smarter it is going to become. Therefore, the more that people popularize it, the better it will become at writing scripts, creating realistic videos of actors, creating fake songs with existing artist’s voices. It seems harmless but I just know that in a few years it is going to be nearly impossible to figure out what is real and what is A.I anymore. To me that sounds bleak as hell. I don’t really know how to combat the rise of A.I, it just makes me really depressed thinking about the implications.

You said all of my friends are on my payroll
You're not wrong, you're an asshole
Screaming at you in the Ludlow
I was yours for free
I don't get existential
I just think about myself and look where that got me
Standin' on my own in an airport bar or hotel lobby
Waiting to feel clean
That's so fucking boring

Obviously, I love Phoebe’s verse, that is my literal twin.² However, her verse seems to be more introspective and feeling about a ghost within herself. The machine I would imagine is the public persona of “Phoebe Bridgers.” I think that is another theme that SZA hints at that Phoebe really drives home. The Machine is the literal machine, A.I, but also the figurative machine or SZA and Phoebe’s personal personas. When you become so big that you can’t go anywhere without being recognized, it’s not hard to imagine that you feel like a ghost of yourself. I hate that this verse is seemingly about Paul Mescal’s fine ass but until we know for sure I will continue to thirst after him.

I love this song so much and I hope that my analysis of it gives you some more perspective. Or you got it on first listen and all of this was unnecessary. Either way, I am excited to hear this song tonight and in my wildest dreams Phoebe will come back out, but I know she’s busy being a boy Genius. Lesbians you win this round.

1. I do not like to be scared. My favorite thing about Halloween is the dressing up part. Not the scary parts. Trick or Treat? I’m always picking treat.

2. We have the same birthday